The field of the invention is transportation vehicles.
Portable radios, tape players, and CD players are commonplace electronic devices for providing entertainment. While there are literally hundreds or even thousands of commercial embodiments of such devices on the market, it is possible to characterize the entire class as comprising two portions, (1) a signal producing portion and (2) a sound producing portion. To clarify the distinction as used herein, the signal producing portion of a radio would be the tuner portion which receives a radio signal, while the sound producing portion of the radio would be the speaker or speakers. To further clarify, the signal producing portion of a CD player would be the CD turntable and associated electronics, while the sound producing portion would again be some sort of speaker or speakers. Those skilled in the art will recognize that this same distinction is frequently made in fixed location entertainment systems, where the speakers may measure several feet in one or more dimensions.
When considering the use of sound producing devices in conjunction with transportation vehicles, there are conceptually only four possible permutations of signal producing component and sound producing component. In one permutation, both signal producer and sound producer are carried on a person during use. This would occur when the driver or other person traveling in or on a vehicle is using a completely portable device such as a Walkman(trademark) type hand-held radio. In another permutation, both signal producer and sound producer are carried on the vehicle during operation. This category includes virtually all common automobile and motorcycle radios. The boundary between these two groupings of products is generally fairly distinct, but may at times be somewhat blurred. For example, it is known to removably attach a hand-held radio to a vehicle such as a bicycle using brackets as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,598,295 to Seegers (August 1971).
A third permutation combines carrying the signal producer on a vehicle, and carrying the sound producer on the person. Examples here include an automotive type radio that includes headphones, or a Seegers type apparatus used with headphones. In general, the idea is to use the vehicle to carry the relatively sophisticated, heavy, and possibly motion sensitive signal producing portion, while the person is used to carry the relatively simple, lightweight, and rugged sound producing headphones or earpiece. This category of products is also advantageous in that the vehicle is generally better adapted to carrying the power supply than a person. This category of products is also advantageous in that use of headphones protects others from having to listen in on the music or other sounds being played.
The fourth permutation combines carrying the signal producer on a person, but carrying the sound producer on a vehicle. To our knowledge, embodiments in this category are entirely unknown for entertainment devices, possibly because they would preclude all of the various advantages listed above.
The present inventors, however, have recognized that there are several applications in which embodiments of this last category are desirable. One such application involves bicycling, and especially when traveling relatively long routes. In such situations a bicyclist may find it awkward, uncomfortable or even hazardous to wear headphones, and may therefore desire to mount the sound producing portion on the bicycle. A group of bicyclists may even find it enjoyable to all listen to a broadcast or song emanating from a common speaker. At the same time, the bicyclist may find it advantageous to wear the signal producing portion on his or her person, thereby preventing theft, and possibly facilitating switching to headphones when leaving the bicycle.
Thus, there, is still a need to provide systems and methods for operating an audio system in conjunction with a vehicle.
The present invention is directed to methods and apparatus in which a person operates an audio entertainment system in conjunction with a vehicle, wherein the audio system has a signal producing portion which is worn on the person and an associated sound producing portion which is carried on the vehicle.
Where the vehicle comprises a bicycle, the sound producing portion may advantageously comprise a combination of speaker and power supply on the frame of the bicycle. In especially preferred bicycle embodiments the sound producing portion is removably carried by a bracket sized and dimensioned to carry a water bottle. The signal producing portion may advantageously comprise at least one of a radio tuner, a CD player and a tape player.
Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along With the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like portions.